Tango Flamenco: Up close and personal

The concept of fusion is tricky, and one that may make more than one aficionado cringe. But choreographer Antonio Najarro, the director of Talent Danza, unabashedly embraces what he calls "contemporary fusion." Najarro, whose roots are in flamenco, says he was attracted to tango dancers' exceptional skill, sensuality and poise while in Buenos Aires. He says the classical language of flamenco matches beautifully with the energy and passion of the tango.

Many people might remark that Latin dance perfumes the air with sensuous and exotic images, but flamenco's roots are miles from any of these stereotypes, intertwining Gypsy (Roma), Moorish, Jewish and southern Andalusian cultures dating back to the 15th century. All were persecuted peoples, but cultural tolerance between these diverse groups existed, sometimes in covert circumstances, occasionally only out of necessity. To express themselves through the persecution, the grief and the suffering, these cultures created flamenco. In flamenco, the first thing that came was the song, unaccompanied by musicians - as these were wandering peoples who often didn't have instruments, their instrument was their voice, and the dancing came out of the song.

At the turn of the last century, guitarists, singers and dancers shared the stage, performing for wealthy Spaniards and foreigners in the "cafés cantantes" - flamenco bars - in the major cities. Members of these groups accompanied one another as they took turns doing solos; men performed phrases of rhythmic footwork, while the women articulated spiralling shapes with their fingers, arms and upper torsos.

Likewise, tango, in its origins, was anything but a high-class entertainment. It comes from the Buenos Aires bordellos and harbours. Two men sometimes danced the dance, because there weren't very many women. The music itself, from Argentina's African community in the 19th century, was explicitly percussive at the beginning - the word "tango" coming from "tambor," "drum" in an African dialect.

So is Tango Flamenco true to the art forms, or just a flash act? As with many Jazz Fest shows, expect the unexpected.

Tango Flamenco
At Place des Arts, Théâtre Jean-Duceppe, until July 10

 
 

		Write your comment on this article!

Drama at its best     There were moments during Tango Flamenco where I thought that the entire audience including the dancers held their breath. Most of the time, it's the silence - the sudden halt of movement - or a dancers' hesitation that makes a preformance so dramatic and intense. The highlights of this show included the contast of traditional flamenco with the surprise interpretations with veils, beautiful costumes, and even men tango-ing with the other men. Everything about this show was well choreographed, well-accompanied by the sharp 6 piece flamenco band and live vocals.
Marguerite Ryan		July 5th, 2005

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